Life, the Universe, and Everything….

3 Hondas 3

Today was the day: we took delivery on the 2010 Honda Insight (first car in the lineup above). The process was relatively painless but the dealership naturally made the last-minute pitches for accessories, extended warranty, etc., etc. All those waivers. The loan papers were simple by comparison. So we messed with the cars this afternoon transferring items from what was my primary vehicle to the Insight. She Who Must Be Obeyed moved her personal items from the 1997 Civic to the 2002 Civic. Then we parked the cars in the garage, on the apron in front of the garage, and on the street. Our expected buyer for the '97 wasn't reachable today but we expect to hear from him this weekend.

Driving the Insight home from the dealership was pretty much the same experience as the test drive (I'll take that as a good sign). The car was quiet, handled well, and delivered a pleasant ride. The day was sunny and, with the windows all up, the cabin warmed. The automatic air comfort control kept things comfy and cut back, as designed, when the hybrid's engine was shut down at stop lights. Whilst the engine was stopped the fan ran at slow speed but if the stop was long enough, the car's engine fired up again to keep the power flowing. The engine's starting and stopping will take a little getting used to but it's an important way the car saves gasoline. My sense of the car's dimensions needs to develop –I'm not sure how far away the front bumper is– and while visibility is good in most directions, the tiny window in the back is limiting. Interesting to me, as I've never had a digital speedometer, is that the speedometer will indicate the speed when the car is moving in reverse! I don't know how useful that is but that's how it works.

As I said earlier, we hope and expect to be selling the 1997 car (Hers) within the next couple of days. It has given us great service these many years and, with proper care, will continue to serve a new driver for some time to come. The '97 has been getting about 30 MPG in general driving. The 2002 (mine) now becomes Hers and she's very happy about it. It's a great car and gets around 34 MPG in general use. The newest car is mine! Whoo-hoo! It's supposed to get around 40 MPG in general driving but reports indicate it can go above 50 MPG with careful use of the gas pedal. In any case, it's fun to see them all lined up here and note the changes in design over the years. If we could have called in our 1990 Honda Civic Hatchback (our first Honda) to pose for the picture, we would have. The '90 has been through two other owners since us and is still on the road somewhere! It was an interesting day.

On Sunday we go to an Earth Day observance on what will be the first real travel for us in the new Insight. How appropriate.

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7 comments on “3 Hondas 3”

Well, Jack, I don't know how thrilled Honda is but they have earned our loyalty. Over the years we have seen their good quality improve with each car better than its predecessor. When I first began driving one could expect a domestic car to last from three to five years. Exceeding 100,000 miles was so rare that some odometers (to my recollection) did not go over five digits. To think our little 1990 Civic Hatchback (now belonging to someone else) is closing in on 20 years of age and probably exceeded 200,000 miles… yes, we've pretty much bought into that! — JG

Hi Jack, Yes, we hope it's at least as good as previous Honda products. I had not seen anything written about the fact that a good portion of the body isn't sheet metal but a plastic or composite material! I'm seeking more details on construction. — JG

I don't know if "angular" is quite the right word, Su, but the car is beautifully sculpted –form follows function and all that– and does cut a good figure. We noticed, driving today, that there's not a lot of wind noise in the cabin with the passenger-side window down. I attribute that to good airflow around the car. Hopefully you'll see this one soon! — JG